How to Find Better Candidates with Better Job Postings

How to Find Better Candidates with Better Job Postings

When done incorrectly, recruiting can be a massive drain on time and money. Interviewing candidates that don’t fit your business needs or culture can cause you to not only lose a day for the interview itself, but also forces you to spend even more time interviewing other candidates who might be what you’re looking for. It’s an exhausting, costly process that may result in you just choosing someone who is good enough, but not ideal. Finding the right employee starts with your job postings. Before using software that lets you narrow down candidates by skill and trait, you need to first attract the right applicants. Here are three simple changes you can make to your job postings to make sure you are recruiting the best candidates available for your business.

Know Where You’re Posting

National job boards are a great way to get your company’s name and posting in front of potentially millions of candidates. But are these the people you want to reach? Do you really care if a recent college graduate in Iowa sees your job listing in Alabama if you are looking for local candidates only? That Iowan may still apply for the job, adding another resume to your list that you don’t need to waste time reading. Instead, consider more specific posting boards. Just about every industry and every region has their own specialized listings service. Find yours and use it to your advantage. Of course, you will still want to post on the bigger posting sites as well. But using a listing service directly related to your business can greatly improve the quality of the candidates interested, even if the quantity of applications drops.

Revamp Your Posting

Whether you are creating a job listing on a national or local posting site, consider what said job listing looks like. Is it a small paragraph with information about your business, followed by a dozen bullet points of job requirements? If so, it may be time for a facelift. You want your job listing to be exciting and engaging. This is especially true if you are seeking a highly-skilled employee who has their choice of employment. Bullet points are a great way to break up long blocks of text. However, they are also just plain boring. Inject some excitement into your posting. Company culture is a major factor for many candidates, especially younger ones. So, explain why the ideal candidate would enjoy a job at your business over a similar job, but working for a competitor. Not only should the right candidate say, “I can do that,” after reading your listing, they should also say, “I want to do that!”

Step in the Candidate’s Shoes

When you create your job posting, it needs to be engaging and attractive. Imagine you were looking for a job, and came across your posting. Does it sound like a job you would want? Further, does your business sound like somewhere you would want to work? For instance, a job listing that has generic responsibilities comes across as, “You’ll be doing whatever needs to be done.” On the other hand, a list of specific responsibilities allows candidates to more firmly imagine working for you, and determining whether or not that is a job they want. If you are looking for a candidate to become a positive part of your business, you need to let them know how they will do so.